FORD Motor Company has issued a recall for a select number of Rangers, as a gearshift cable retaining clip may not be securely fastened.
This follows a recent Mazda BT-50 recall, which shares the same parentage as the Ford Ranger.
The Australian governments Product Safety Commission has issued a warning, stating the fault “could lead to gearshift cables making contact with the rear driveshaft.
“Continued contact between the gearshift cables and driveshaft can damage both components. This could result in difficulty changing gears and/or loss of drive, posing an accident hazard.”
There have been no reports of incidents or failures from Australian customers, but prolonged use can cause more damage to the gearshift.
5655 affected vehicles fitted with a manual transmission were listed in the report. To find out if yours might be one, view the effected VINs: https://www.productsafety.gov.au/system/files/Affected%20VINs_0.pdf
POSSIBLY the ultimate Kick-Starter campaign project, this LS3-powered Holden Colorado is the result of Steve and Tony’s, from Killa Kustom Kables & Conversions, desire to offer something more than the glossy stickered ‘special edition paint’ 4×4 the Aussie market is currently subjected to by all manufacturers.
Vote for the Holden LS3 Colorado to win 2017 Custom 4×4 of the Year
These guys were keen to modify (then offer as a complete turn-key product) a rig that really did fulfil the ‘special’ in special edition.
After finding a write-off vehicle and pulling it apart to see how best to fit the big V8 into the Colorado engine bay, the guys then set to work on a test mule. And when we’re talking about that donk and say ‘big’, we mean it; the 6.2-litre GM LS3 V8 punches out 298-plus-kW of power and a mighty 580Nm of torque.
The V8 was mated to a 6L80E six-speed auto that has featured in H2 Hummers in past incarnations. This combo feeds all that grunt through a modified adaptor with custom engine mounts on its way to the stock Colorado transfer case.
As Dan Everett wrote in the original story on the Colorado, “This isn’t exactly a backyard engine conversion”, and it shows throughout not only the engine transplant, but in regards to all the peripherals that ensure the vehicle runs and performs like a factory-standard equivalent would.
After signing off on the engine transplant, the guys then moved on to how to integrate the new drivetrain into the Holden workhorse’s electrical system. The result of the many, many hours of work is a Colorado that retains all the factory stuff – hill-start assist, downhill assist, traction control, etc. – while being transformed performance-wise, both on- and off-road.
2017 Holden Colorado: Research & development drive
In addition to the impressive engine transplant, the guys have also focused on the other important stuff – the suspension – with a full set of Fox 2.0 suspension (including Fox remote reservoir coilovers and extended shackles at the rear) that has resulted in a nice lift overall.
Rolling underneath all this is a set of beefy 305/70R Mickey Thompson ATZ P3 AT tyres on 18-inch Fuel alloys. Impressively, and allowing for the size of the engine, fuel economy still sits around 14L/100km for what is a pretty big lift in overall performance.
Cosmetically, the burnt orange beast has copped just a few nice tweaks, including a blacked-out two-piece mesh grille, black surrounds on the front lights and the wheel arch flares. With the idea of offering variations on this mod across three option ‘packages’ (each option would have its own engine, trim and suspension mods) the Killa Kustom duo are on a winner.
“I WASN’T really a Landy person prior to this, but now I have just become part of the cult.”
Vote for the Land Rover Defender 90 to win 2017 Custom 4×4 of the Year
Damian Lucev’s simple statement reflects what has become a serious passion for the green-oval brand, reflected in his smartly modified Defender 90 tourer. The Defender was initially just supposed to be Damian’s daily driver, but things soon changed…
“A few years into owning it, my girlfriend and I planned a camping trip up to the High Country,” Damian said. “So I bought a snorkel for that trip, and that was as far as I was going to go with it, and I sort of, yeah, ended up doing everything to it!”
First stop was the Puma 2.2TD with its stock 90kW-360Nm output soon lifted thanks to a Bell Auto Services (BAS) ECU kit; the shorty Defender now puts out 130kW/440Nm.
The rest of the drivetrain was beefed-up to cope as well: front and rear Ashcroft diff locks (air-actuated), Hi-Tough axles (claimed to be 50 per cent stronger than standard) and Ashcroft CVs ensure this tough D90 doesn’t slow down, even with the big BFG Mud Terrain KM2 LT315/75R16 tyres wrapped around 16×8-inch Dynamic steel rims.
The Defender was sporting a two-inch lift, but Damian has upgraded to a Les Richmond Automotive custom Koni kit with matched coils and dampers in the very near future. With those big tyres, that life and a short wheelbase, this D90 has excellent approach/departure angles and is pretty much unstoppable on gnarly terrain.
But, just in case the unexpected does happen, Damian has fitted the Rovacraft tubular bar up front with a Runva 11,000lb 11XP winch, operated via an in-cabin controller. The bar also houses a 17-inch Stedi Version 2 80W Cree LED light bar.
Land Rover Defender will return
Proving there’s never enough light, there’s also a Stedi ST3300 48-inch 260W LED light bar on the roof rack – and a pair of Stedi LEDs at the rear of the Defender.
Even with the excellent ground clearance, Damian has still gone the extra step and fitted a Britpart front bash plate, Mulgo side rails and bumperettes, plus an APT Fabrication Fuel Tank Guard. The underbelly is finished off with two recovery points up front and Nugget Stuff rear recovery point that bolts to the Defender’s rear cross member.
Up top there’s a Darche awning attached to the roof rack, plus a Front Runner twin jerry can holder, shovel, MaxTrax and a HiLift jack. Damian has also opted to fit a Mantec swing-away rear wheel carrier, removing the heavy weight of that chunky spare wheel off the rear door.
Damian has flicked the rear seats to gain maximum storage capacity in the rear and has installed a flat floor so he can access the fridge easily and also store gear under the floor base. A Uniden UHF and totally revamped stereo finish off the interior. Powering all these goodies is a dual-battery system, with Redarc BCDC charger.
Ultimately, for a two-up tourer, it’s hard to argue with Damian when he reckons the Defender 90 is the perfect vehicle.
APPROACHING Tasmania’s Queenstown, I couldn’t help but feel melancholy. A visit had been suggested, but the idea of environmental destruction as a tourism attraction seemed more than a little depressing.
This was first published in 4X4 Australia’s July 2012 issue.
Still, with two days to spend in nearby Strahan, we decided to make the winding bitumen drive late one afternoon.
Mined intensively for copper since the early 1900s (a copper mine still operates there, with tours available), Queenstown suffered dire environmental damage as a result of the surrounding hills being cleared to fuel the smelter. Acid rains then almost irreparably eroded the bare landscape.
As Queenstown sits in a valley, the denuded hills are the first thing to greet you on approach. A famous town relic is the gravel football oval (from a time when even grass struggled to grow), which local players continue to use out of a combination of nostalgia and local pride, despite the slow return of vegetation.
The day was still stiflingly hot despite being early evening, so we retreated to the historic Empire Hotel (built in 1901) for a cold beer, where we met long-term local Joyce Appleby. Neither she nor Kylee Shackcloth behind the bar seemed all that optimistic about the future of Queenstown with its shrinking population and the increasing prevalence of non-resident miners, but both were clearly proud locals.
They told us about a 24-hour charity walk being held that day around the gravel oval to raise money for locals with terminal illnesses, and were clearly chuffed to show us the hotel’s National Trust staircase. Made of Tasmanian Blackwood, it was shipped to England to be carved in the early 20th century – an impressive feat then or now, and evidence of the vastly different standing of Queenstown at the time.
In the end, I was glad we made the trip, if for no other reason than to get a first-hand view of the mining that is such a big part of western Tasmania’s identity and economy, in a state with a split personality: Tasmania is also the birthplace of the Green political movement and remains at the forefront of environmental debate in this country.
Unlike Zeehan (see part 1) or Queenstown, Strahan on the west coast thrived into the 21st century as a popular tourism centre thanks to its idyllic seaside location and the enduring market for Tasmanian smoked salmon.
Having shivered our way along the hiking tracks of Cradle Mountain National Park just days earlier, a record-breaking heatwave kicked in by the time we arrived in the picturesque port town. We spent a lot of time in the shallow, tannin-stained waters of West Strahan beach behind our caravan park accommodation.
Off-roaders visiting Strahan can take their 4X4s for a spin on the Henty Dunes or simply along Ocean Beach where sand driving is permitted. Strahan is also home to a Huon pine sawmill and adjacent woodwork shop.
Native to Tasmania, Huon pine is sought after for its waterproof and rot-resistant properties, and is one of the longest-living organisms on earth. Fires, mining and logging have reduced existing stands to about 10,500ha – almost all of which is now protected. Only dead and fallen trees can be harvested, but luckily the wood retains its qualities long after falling, and can even be dredged from rivers for use after decades.
After two nights, we were sad to leave Strahan, but felt oddly comforted to be passing through Zeehan for the second time on our way up the coast. I commented on this to Paul, who suggested a traveller needs to leave and then return to a place to experience that comfortingly familiar feeling. It reminded me of that oft-said phrase ‘many happy returns’.
Before hitting the Western Explorer Highway (dubbed The Road to Nowhere by environmentalists in the late 80s), we took a (signed) left turn towards Trial Harbour about 10km out of Zeehan.
What follows is a 24km narrow, slippery gravel road – but where it led, I have to admit, we were vague. Like Queenstown, a visit to Trial Harbour had been suggested, so I’d penned it into the itinerary on our way to Corinna and left it at that.
I was therefore surprised when the ocean opened up before us and a smattering of cottages nestled into the valley below came into view. What exactly was this place?
We pulled up at the beachfront and – first things first – went for a swim. The calm bottle-green waters (in fact renowned for often being unruly and having taken several lives over the years) looked irresistible.
A sign told us Aboriginal people still live in the area and hunt for fish and abalone, adjacent to which was a pile of whale bones – collected, it seems, for us tourists. I took a few photos to add to our growing whale-bone album. Are we that predictable?
We chatted to Shirley Smith, owner of the History Room (a private home doubling as a museum showcasing the town’s history) on her deck, looking out over her clifftop garden framed by an expansive ocean view.
Once a port for the (then) thriving mining town of Zeehan, Trial Harbour today has a permanent population of just 11 and is disconnected from the electricity grid and mains water (homes use wind turbines, solar panels, gas generators and tank water).
Apparently there have been residents in the past who have looked at connecting to the rest of the world, but on the whole the locals remain averse to the idea – they define themselves by their seclusion, which adds to the village’s away-from-it-all appeal.
There is a 4X4 track connecting Trial Harbour to Granville Harbour in the north, along which there is apparently a campsite. However, the track was closed until further notice due to a broken bridge when we were there, so we returned to the Road to Nowhere… which would in fact take us to the north coast, via Corinna.
Initially surrounded by wide grassy fields and logging sites, the unsealed but well-graded Western Explorer Highway was soon bordered with towering, dense forest as we were enveloped by the Tarkine wilderness.
The Tarkine – named after the original inhabitants, the Tarkineer – constitutes 447,000 hectares in the state’s north-west and is Tasmania’s last untouched wilderness area yet to be gazetted national park, largely because of its mining and logging potential.
We passed just one other vehicle before reaching the Pieman River, crossable on the Fatman Barge ($20 one-way). It was our last obstacle before reaching Corinna, a gold-rush town that contracted in the early 20th century and remained largely abandoned until 2008 when the Tarkine Hotel was re-opened and the town transformed into an eco-tourism destination by a couple of entrepreneurs from the mainland.
Activities of choice are kayaking, bushwalking and river cruises. We chose a shady forest walking track to spend a few hours and dunked ourselves in the icy Pieman River before dinner at the Tarkine Hotel.
We saw out the day on a jetty overlooking the Pieman. The chatter of diners and clink of cutlery from the hotel faded into the background as we sat quietly, feet dangling over the dark-green water flanked by lush, ancient and seemingly impenetrable forest.
Some say, if the Tasmanian tiger were to live on anywhere, it is here, in the Tarkine – Corinna is the Aboriginal word for a young Tasmanian tiger. Leaving Corinna the next morning, the heatwave seemed to dissipate as quickly as it arrived. Clouds gathered and rain fell in bursts for the rest of the day.
We stopped just 10 minutes along the road out of Corinna (the turn-off is directly after the bridge crossing Savage River, a Pieman tributary) and donned rain jackets to hike to the top of Mount Donaldson. This is a well-graded track over what is more like rolling hills than a mountain. It takes around three hours to reach the summit, with spectacular views over the Tarkine.
Our final evening was to take place in the north-coast town of Stanley, which sits at the foot of an enormous rock formation for which it is famous. Named Circular Head by Bass and Flinders in 1798, the 152-metre-high and 2km-round ancient volcanic plug is more affectionately known as The Nut.
We rose early on our final morning met by cool, clear weather to accompany us on our climb to The Nut’s wide, flat summit. The steep walk (a chairlift is also available) rewards with views over the historic village and up the north coast to where the Spirit would soon arrive to take us and the Jeep on our journey home.
The phrase ‘many happy returns’ sprang to mind. We’ll be back.
WE’VE been closely monitoring the progress of Bollinger’s exciting all-electric B1, so we were more than a little giddy to get up close and personal to it at the 2017 SEMA Show.
The all-wheel drive B1, officially unveiled at the Classic Car Club of Manhattan in New York, employs a dual-motor powertrain, with front- and rear-mounted synchronous electric motors. It’s good for 270kW and 640Nm.
Two lithium-ion battery-packs (60kWh and 100kWh) will be offered for production models, providing maximum ranges of either 193km or 322km.
It’s a salivating prospect, but will we see it in Australia? You’ll have to watch the above video where we chat to Bollinger’s head of marketing, Jeff Holland.
WHEN you’re looking for more grunt from your GU Patrol’s 3.0TD engine, you can only go so far – as Travis Rampling realised soon after he started the search for more oomph for his touring-duty 2002 wagon.
Vote for the Duramax V8 Nissan GU Patrol to win 2017 Custom 4×4 of the Year
Enter Andrew Cassar from On Track 4×4 and his seemingly crazy (but actually super-smart) suggestion to shove a 6.6-litre Duramax turbo-diesel V8 in the Patrol’s engine bay.
Yeah, it’s really impressive, hey – especially when you consider this engine also punches out 1200Nm (yep, twice that of a 200 Series Cruiser) and 380kW at the wheels, courtesy of a custom-tuned ECU (it contains five separate tunes from outright performance to driveability; 13L/100km is achievable in ‘fuel-saving’ mode when towing a camper trailer).
It was a big job, entailing On Track 4×4 stripping the Patrol down to the chassis and strengthening key areas before installing the big Duramax engine and a matched Allison six-speed auto gearbox.
On Track 4×4 also fitted a four-inch stainless steel snorkel which is connected to the turbo and Garrett intercooler, with a four-inch exhaust taking care of spent gases out the back.
The driveline has been beefed-up accordingly; a laminated front axle (with TJM Pro Locker) housing prevents twisting, and the rear diff is now a larger H233 unit with an ARB Air Locker.
Interestingly, the larger tyres haven’t adversely affected the transfer of power to the ground. In reality the standard 4.3:1 diff ratio is perfectly matched, thanks to the Duramax’s abundant torque and the six-speed’s ratios.
Suspension has been appropriately upgraded; custom-valved Performance Series King 2.5-inch dampers combine with the four-inch-lift King springs, and the stock rubber bump stops were replaced by King hydraulic jobbies to stop bottoming-out.
The Patrol’s exterior is, in comparison to the extensive work under the skin, subtle, with an ARB Sahara bar custom-fitted with a Red Winch Viper winch.
Baja Designs slim-line LED light bars (20-inch on the bar; 50-inch fitted to the Rhino Pioneer roof platform) take care of illumination, On Track 4×4 rock sliders protect the high belly, while an ARB rear bar (with spare wheel and jerry can holders) keeps the backside protected.
The cargo area reflects this big bopper’s primary touring duties: there’s a drop-down table on one barn door, LED lighting, a 60-litre ARB fridge (accessed via a MSA 4×4 drop-down fridge slide), and a trick Outback Drawers cargo drawer system that hides a second battery, as well as a twin-piston ARB compressor (a second compressor lives under the front seat to power the diff locks and winch-free spool).
The interior’s Recaro seats and Icom IC440 UHF radio finish off the touring must-haves. Talk about a new lease on life for a legendary off-road vehicle.
WE were driving on the powdery white sand of Ocean Beach (Tasmania’s longest continuous stretch of beach) in Strahan, on the state’s west coast.
This was first published in 4X4 Australia’s June 2012 issue.
The topic of conversation in the cab had turned to how to spend the rest of the day, and the nearby Henty Dunes were tabled as an option.
“It’ll be fun, but there are plenty of sand dunes at home,” I said to Paul, who was driving at the time. I didn’t want Stockton Beach, I wanted to find (and photograph) something that would really show we were in Tasmania; the western wilderness.
Master of non sequitur, he brought the vehicle to a stop and said: “Is that a whale bone?” I craned my neck to see out his window – the long, ivory-coloured object with rounded ends wouldn’t have looked out of place suspended in a museum atrium.
We continued slowly on until a sickly odour seeped through the windows and its source opened up before us: strewn across the beach were two almost-complete spinal columns, scattered vertebrae the size of cinder blocks, and piles of blubber and sinewy flesh, hazy with buzzing flies.
We got out of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, taking a moment to adjust to the absence of engine noise – replaced by crashing surf and the whistle of dry, hot wind – and wandered among our discovery, awe-struck.
This is the wild-west coast of Tasmania. Continue west across the Indian Ocean and you won’t hit land again for more than 10,000km until South America, landing in southern Argentina and undercutting the African continent altogether.
We pulled our collars down from over our noses and retreated back to the Jeep; outside the mid-morning temperature had already exceeded 30°C in what was turning out to be a record-breaking heatwave for much of the state. Two days previously, we’d been concerned about not packing beanies.
The sun had barely risen and Devonport was still asleep when we’d disembarked the Spirit of Tasmania well-fed and rested and excited to be setting foot (and tyre) on the Apple Isle for the first time. So we headed straight onto Tassie’s characteristically narrow, winding bitumen through rural pastures, stopping for breakfast in the small ex-mining town of Sheffield – famous for its public murals, many honouring its mining heritage.
While not always as artfully portrayed, almost all of the towns we would pass through in the next week had in some way risen out of mining (or logging, or some other primary industry) and subsequently contracted either with its exodus, or with the advent of fly-in, fly-out workers.
We arrived at our first destination, Cradle Mountain National Park, before 8.30am. Over the course of our trip we frequently passed signs warning of driver fatigue, but I couldn’t help but think that in a state you can cross east to west in about five hours, those warnings seemed less relevant.
World Heritage-listed Cradle Mountain NP is possibly the state’s best-known tourism destination, attracting hikers from all over the world. The visitors centre offers everything its hordes of arrivals could possibly need, so we splurged on expensive gift-shop beanies (the Jeep told us the outside temperature was a frigid 12°C) and replacement laces for my hiking boots.
The plan was to combine a few of the shorter walks for a half-day hike. The Overland Track for which the area is famous takes around six days.
Top 5 tips for driving on the beach
Starting at the flat and family-friendly Dove Lake Circuit track, the further we climbed, the stronger the winds and icy, horizontal rains became. The lookouts were a sea of white mist and the wild weather and lack of visibility contrasted surreally with the civilised boardwalk-style track snaking across the grassy plateau. We sheltered behind a large boulder to eat our packed lunch, and finished with a descent through thankfully protected temperate rainforest.
Paul and I returned to the Jeep exhilarated but cold and rain-soaked three and a half hours later, switching on the heat and worrying about our bags packed with shorts, T-shirts and swimmers. We needn’t have.
Our first night was spent in Zeehan, about halfway between Cradle Mountain and our next stop on the coast, Strahan. Zeehan’s wide roads lined with timber cottages were mostly empty and the streets were eerily silent. The kind of silence that makes you want to whisper.
Albeit, we had visited outside the opening hours of the town’s main tourist drawcard – the Pioneer Museum – but managed to find some life in the local pub, the Heemskirk Motor Hotel.
We spent the remaining light of the day wandering the streets, looking at an old steam train behind the closed museum fence and wondering at the size and grandeur of the 19th century buildings.
At its peak, Zeehan was home to 10,000 people and 26 pubs (the latter a statistic frequently used as a measure of a town’s past size and success), but today has a permanent population of about 900.
It’s difficult to imagine the streets humming with people spilling out of the pubs and onto the streets that we now stood on, a century later, quietly alone. The story was a recurrent one throughout the region.
One of Tasmania’s highest waterfalls – at 104 metres – is located 10km north-east of Zeehan, and the 4X4 track to their base was a highlight on our itinerary.
Montezuma Falls are accessible from one side on foot or mountain bike (7km, four hours return), or on a separate 14km four-wheel drive track. Rated ‘moderate’, it consisted of a narrow, rutted dirt track with deep muddy holes and a few steep, rocky inclines.
Having had ample opportunity to stretch the Jeep’s legs on the winding country roads, we couldn’t wait to get the wheels dirty.
Stopping regularly for photos, it took three hours to complete on the way in, and two hours on the return trip. The Montezuma Falls track is also the gateway to the Ring River Track – but all the signs, brochures and questioned locals suggested it wouldn’t be suited to our showroom-standard, solo-travelling Grand Cherokee.
Australia’s best off-road destinations
Becoming increasingly sceptical of the very existence of the waterfall after three hours in low-range and with our wheel-arches caked thick with mud, we finally made it to the track’s end. From here it was just 200m on foot and across an impressive swing bridge to reach the base of the towering, three-tiered waterfall.
We’d had the entire 4X4 track to ourselves, but met a couple of hikers eating sandwiches at the base of the falls when we arrived. We took a few photos, splashed our faces with the sweet, fresh water and returned to the swing bridge where we encountered another couple of tourists. Western Australians, they were wearing matching tourism-branded wool-trimmed vests – they too had been surprised by the cold, they told us.
We bade them farewell and returned to our vehicle, expecting to see their 4X4 parked nearby. Afterall, they weren’t carrying any water or backpacks… and who still wears a woollen vest at the end of a 7km hike? There were no other 4X4s in sight, so we spent the return trip spooking ourselves about ghost-tourists that haunt 4X4 tracks in naff souvenir outfits.
From Montezuma Falls our plan was to continue west to Strahan, where we’d discover a record-breaking heatwave and whale graveyard, make side trips to the famously scarred Queenstown and the isolated hippy village of Trial Harbour, and continue on through the remote Tarkine wilderness, before spending our last night at the foot of The Nut.
Keep an eye on 4x4australia.com.au for part 2
THE SEMA Show is where the best and brightest of the aftermarket industry gather to share their latest and greatest creations.
Importantly, it’s also a place for Australian companies to show off new product to the world. So it was no surprise to find MaxTrax founder Brad McCarthy had set up shop to launch the MaxTrax Extreme.
The Extreme, designed for the hardcore (think: Baja) off-roader, differs from the original as it features replaceable metal teeth. February 2018 is the expected release date.
Also on display was the MaxTrax Mini, designed for smaller SUVs and side-by-sides, and a jack base.
Watch the video for our full chat with Brad from MaxTrax.
STUDIES conducted in Japan and Korea have revealed that counterfeit oil filters for sale online can cause serious detrimental effects to an engine.
The expert analyses concluded that the rip-off oil filters feature several design and engineering flaws, including faulty bypass valves which remain permanently open, stopping engine oil filtration. Obviously, a bypass valve should only be required if a filter becomes blocked or clogged.
This issue can expose crucial engine parts to damage and failure, and it could hit your hip pocket… hard. As a Toyota Australia spokesperson explained: “Unfiltered oil containing dirt, metal and other particulates eats away at vital engine components causing severe engine damage. This would leave vehicle owners with a hefty repair bill for a complete engine rebuild.”
As well as poor filtration, the bench testing, conducted by Toyota genuine automotive component manufacturer Denso and Hyundai equivalent Mobis, found that the counterfeit filters also demonstrated reduced service life.
Mark Skaife, a Genuine is Best ambassador, emphasised the magnitude of the issue: “If you have bought one of these filters online thinking it is legitimate, then think again because those few dollars that you think you saved could end up costing you thousands.
“Unfortunately we don’t know exactly how many of these fake filters with their dodgy materials have reached our streets. This seizure is just from one retailer, and involves over 500 filters.”
For the test, experts seized more than 500 counterfeit filters branded as Toyota, Lexus and Mobis (Hyundai and Kia), with all of the sales records collected. Affected customers are expected to hear from their respective car companies with information on the effects of the dodgy filters.
The bogus product is wrapped with labelling which looks almost indistinguishable from genuine products, so customers are often unaware they are purchasing a counterfeit product.
“From the outside, the counterfeits are difficult to tell apart from the originals, even for our trained technicians,” a Toyota Australia spokesperson said.
To curve this immeasurable problem, customers are urged to remain vigilant and take an active role to ensure they fit only genuine parts to their vehicle.
“This component test was conducted by two separate labs in two separate countries and both reached the same conclusions,” FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said.
“Counterfeiters are only in this for the quick buck; they can’t hope to replicate the thousands of hours of research, development and engineering that stand behind genuine parts, even with something as small as an oil filter.
“For the sake of a small short-term saving, these poor quality copies don’t even operate as a filter and risk many thousands of dollars in repair costs. It is essential that you check that your mechanic and repairer uses genuine replacement parts sourced from the authorised dealer network. It’s as simple as asking the question.”
IT takes something unique to make someone switch off-road brands, but that’s what happened to Stuart Gruchy, the owner of this sweet Hydro Blue JKU Rubicon.
Vote for the Supercharged JKU Jeep Wrangler to win Custom 4x4OTY
You see, Stuart was formerly a Nissan Patrol man, but when it came time to trade-in his Patrol, he decided to switch and take on the task of modifying one of the world’s most iconic 4x4s.
Stuart has spent wisely and progressively over a couple of years, tweaking things along the way; he originally had 33-inch rubber fitted, before moving through 35s to the monstrous 37s (37×12.5-inch Pro Comp Xtreme All Terrains, to be exact) you see wrapped around the 17×8.5-inch alloys.
Far bigger rubber than he thought he wanted. “I didn’t originally want 37s,” he said. “But after speaking to Henry at JeepKonnection and finding out their GVM upgrade package allowed for 37s, I thought why not.” The JeepKonnection upgrade lifts GVM from 2500kg to 3250kg.
It comprises tweaked heavy-duty Dana 44 front and rear axles, with a nice short 4.56 diff ratio for the bigger rolling stock, combined with ARB Air Lockers front and rear.
The American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) 3.5-inch suspension lift is made up of heavy-duty springs, bump-stop spacers, an AEV high-steer kit and ARB’s adjustable external reservoir BP-51 shocks.
Larger tyres add a challenge for gearing and powertrains, but Stuart sorted that with Bluey’s Automotive fitting a Sprintex Supercharger kit to the Rubicon’s 3.6-litre Pentastar V6. Power at the wheels went up from a stock 116kW to 190kW.
’Nuff said… Other goodies include an ARB bar with Warn CTI-S winch up front, along with three Lightforce LED 215 lights. An AEV snorkel takes care of deep breathing, and Uneek 4×4 fit rock sliders, A-pillar light mounts, bonnet-light and roof-light mounts (with Rigid Industries LED light bars).
Video: Custom 2014 Jeep JKU Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited
A Rhino-Rack Backbone system (with Foxwing awning) carries gear up top, while the rear features a Kaymar twin swing-away wheel carrier and an Affordable 4×4 Drawers cargo drawer setup that includes an Outback Solutions cargo barrier, fridge slide, pull-out table, drop-down table, stove and sink, with all food and drinks kept cool by an Ironman 4×4 fridge/freezer, powered by a Genesis dual-battery system.
A Long Ranger Automotive 60-litre aux fuel tank takes care of the boosted donk’s increased thirst, while navigation is sorted via a Hema HN7, comms is a Uniden UHF radio, and an ARB compressor ensures tyre pressure changes are a doddle.
Yep, it’s a well-sorted Wrangler that is capable of tackling pretty much anything off-road, while still being a decent on-road tourer, and we reckon it is money – and time – very well spent.